Brush



United States Patent BRUSH Maurice H. Krieger, Brooklyn, and David M. Ezorsky, New York, N. Y.

Application October 20, 1952, Serial No. 315,662

Claims. (Cl. 15-486) The present invention relates to a novel brush.

More particularly the present invention relates to a brush wherein the ordinary tufts of bristles are replaced by a plurality of soft natural rubber blades pinched or crimped so as to form a neck portion and an undulating fan-like blade portion. The blades may be arranged in a base in a number of ways which enable the brush to roll up and substantially retain feathers, lint, powder and similar substances without scattering them in the air.

in many modern industries such substances as textile lint, feathers and down, and powder, create serious problems. That is, such substances collect on the surfaces of work tables, machines, the clothes of the workers, and in many other places. Attempts to brush these substances up with existing brushes have been highly unsuccessful since the present day brushes merely tend to disperse the substances in the air. The presence of such dust, lint, feathers, et cetera in the atmosphere is highly injurious to the health of the workers. As stated, present day brushes, cannot be used to overcome this problem because of the relatively stiff bristles and the tendency of these bristles to throw the lint, et ecetera into the surrounding air.

The use of an expensive powered pistol-type blower to blow off the feathers and down, lint, or powder from the materials to be cleaned is unsatisfactory because the forced air-pressure stream does not penetrate deep enough to remove all feathers and down, lint, or powder clinging to the surface. Repeated eiforts must be made by the operator and the same area brushed a number of times. The blades of applicants brush will, by slight pressure, remove all traces of objectionable feathers and down, lint, or powder. Applicant has provided a novel and improved brush which overcomes these problems.

The necessity for an expensive and elaborate system of exhaust fan arrangements is avoided. Workers need no longer wear dust face masks which tend to cause skin irritations, particularly during hot and humid weather. Use of the brush is, of course, not limited to industrial uses but provides a very eflicient household utility brush.

The object of the present invention is to provide a novel brush which will roll up into threads or pills such substances as lint, feathers and down and powder, instead of scattering such substances into the air.

Another object of the present invention, is to provide a novel brush wherein the ordinary tufts of bristles are replaced by a series of blades made from natural unvulcanized rubber.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a brush having a series of blades which are pinched or crimped so as to form a neck portion and an undulating fan-like blade portion.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a brush having a series of natural rubber blades where in such blades are disposed on the brush in accordance with the type material to be brushed up.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent as it is described in detail beice low, with particular reference to the accompanying drawings wherein Fig. 1 is a side view of the novel brush partially broken away to show the manner in which the blades are held in the brush.

Fig. 2 shows the rubber material from which the blade is formed.

Fig. 3 is a side view of the rubber material shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a view of the blade after it has been formed by pinching and its neck bound with a piece of adhesive tape for reinforcement.

Fig. 5 shows the disposition of the blades on the brush when the material to be brushed up is feathers and down.

Fig. 6 is a View taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 shows the disposition of the brush blades when the material being worked on is textile cloth.

Fig. 8 shows the disposition of the blades when the material being brushed up is powder.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 1 there is shown a side view of the novel brush partially broken away to show the manner in which the blades are held in the brush. The brush has a base member 1, which holds or retains a number of the blades 2. These blades 2 have bunched portions 3 constituting necks, each neck being held in the base member 1 by means hereinafter described; each blade 2 also has an undulating fan-like blade portion 4. A pair of troughs 5 are formed in the blade and collect the material which is brushed up. Over the base member is placed a second member 7 which is cemented thereto so as to complete the brush structure.

Fig. 2 shows a square of the material from which the blade is formed. This material is made from natural or unvulcanized rubber sheet, that is, plantation rubber. The sheet has a stippl'ed or creped surface as formed. Prior to cutting this sheet is rolled so as to reduce its thickness and lessen the stippled efiect. After the sheet has been rolled it is cut into squares of the desired size, as shown in Fig. 2, and these squares are pinched so as to form the neck 3 of the blade as shown in Fig. 4. It would be impossible to insert and retain the soft and gummy rubber neck in the hole drilled in base member 1 to receive it. They would tend to squeeze out as soon as inserted. Therefore, a small piece of ordinary adhesive tape is wrapped around the neck 3 of the blade as shown at 6, in Fig. 4 to reinforce and stiffen the neck. Next the blades are inserted in the holes provided for them in the base member 1. The operations of pinching, taping, and inserting the blades in the base are all performed automatically on a machine adapted for the purpose, but which forms no part of the subject matter of this application. When all the blades have been drawn into the base memher in one of the desired arrangements, the top of base member 1 will appear as shown in Fig. 6.

The next step is the application of a cement to retain the blades in the base. Of course, normally, the interior of the holes of base member 1 are coated with this cement prior to the time the blades are drawn into the base member. The cement which is used to retain the blades in the base is made of the same material as the blades thernselves. A quantity of this natural rubber is dissolved into a solution of carbon tetrachloride or, preferably, benzol and the resultant paste is used as a cement. The blades are held in position by the machine until such time as this cement sets. An additional layer of cement may be applied over the area of the top of the base member it and the member 7 pressed down on this base member so as to be held in place after the cement sets.

The brush is able to perform its novel function by virtue of the configuration of the individual blade and the nature of the material from which the blade is formed. The undulating form of the blade provides a surface which er e t o l th Jim. feathers or the l ke into thr ads o balls, the depressions or troughs of the surface providing spaces wherein the lint is retained or collected. In addiion, the tacky and g mmy nature of the natural .unvub canized rubber and the fact that it does not have the high resiliency f vulc nized rubber enable the blades to collect and retain the material so that it will not be thrown into the air.

shows an arrangement of blades adapted to be used for brushing up feathers and down. from the drawing one row of blades is disposed along the central longitudinal axis of the brush with the plane of each blade at right angles to the axis, and a number of rows of blades are disposed along lines parallel to this longitudinal axis and on both sides of :the central row with the planes of the blades parallelrto the central l0ngitudinal axis. As a result of bnlshing in either direction shown by the arrow in Fig. 5, the rows of blades which first engage the down will tend to roll it up into threads until the central row of blades (with their planes perpendicular to the central axis) engage the material. When this central row of blades engages the material it will run over the threads and tend to further roll up, twist and somewhat break up the threads formed by theinitial rows. The remaining rows of blades operate in much the same manner as the first rows but with the troughs reversed with the result that all the feathers and down have been rolled up into threads or balls without having been in any way dispersed into the atmosphere. As pointed out above, many of these threads and balls of material will be retained on the blades. It is a simple matter to clean the brush by merely brushing it vigorously on a strip of the material from which the, blades are made.

in Fig. 7 is shown a modification wherein the blades are arranged so as to be particularly adapted for use on textiles.

Fig. 8 shows a configuration of blades adapted to be used where the material to be brushed is powdered. As,

is apparent, the arrangement blades may be infinitely varied depending upon the type of material on which it is used and the type material to be brushed up. Applicant does not desire to be limited to any particular arrangement and has shown these three as being typical.

As is apparent.

While the invention has been shown and described in the preferred form his obvious that many changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the following claims.

We claim:

1. .A brush comprising a base member having a plurality of rubber blades each formed of a flat strip having opposite edges, portions of said strips located between corresponding parts of said opposite edges being bunched and being fixed in said base member whereby said blades undulate along an axis extending transversely between said two opposite edges to provide troughs on the surfaces of said blades.

2. The invention as described in claim 1 in which the rubber blades are stippled.

3. The invention as defined in claim 1 in which the blades are of natural unvulcanized rubber.

4. The invention as defined in claim 1 in which the base member is elongated and the blades are arranged in a series of rows parallel to the central longitudinal axis of the base member, some of said blades being disposed with their transversely extending axes also parallel to said longitudinal axis and the balance of said blades being arranged with the transversely extending axes perpendicular to said central longitudinal axis.

5. The invention as defined in claim 1 in which the base member is elongated and the blades are arranged in a series of rows parallel to the central longitudinal axis of the base member with the said transversely-extending axes of said blades being obliquely disposed with respect to said. central longitudinal axis.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,683,538 Francois Sept. 4, .1928 1,811,372 Taylor June 23, 1931 1,935,099 ODonnell Nov. 14, 1933 1,936,174 Renschin Nov. 21, 1933 2,235,581 King Mar. 18, 194-1 2,385,490 Bernheim Sept. 25, 1945 2,611,147 Kampouris Sept. 23, 1952 

